Kaze No Stigma: Season 2
by DrFreedomMLP
Summary: Picks up the night after the last episode. Genres: Romance, Comedy, Action/ Adventure, Supernatural. The demon Belial may be defeated but there is much more to come. Will Bernhardt ever be truly defeated? What other adventures might be in store? Will Kazuma and Ayano ever become more than just friends? There's only one way to find out. gDoc version: /jI0KB1
1. Prologue: Fiery Thoughts

Ayano sat propped up in bed, her mind not yet allowing her to go to sleep. Just at the break of dawn today Kazuma, Ren, and her had defeated the demon Belial. But of course there were more important things to think about than having saved the entire city not even 24 hours ago...

_He… he kissed my hair._ She looked up at the ceiling as a light blush rose to her cheeks. _Then he pat me on the rear and sent me into the pond. What a jerk!_ Nevertheless she lowered her gaze to her hands and slowly brought them together. _Still, I can't help but wish that…_ She stopped her thoughts for a moment. _No, wait what are you thinking! He's nothing but a perverted jerk!_ Another pause. _But he's a really __**cute**__ perverted jerk._ She sighed, unable to make up her mind. _He's just a player who can never admit he's wrong. _At that moment a little voice in the back of her mind spoke up.

_You know you like him. Just admit it and get it over with. What's there to lose?_ Ayano tried to swallow only to have it catch halfway down her throat.

_What is there to lose? There's everything to lose! I can't just tell him I think he's amazi-._ She stopped, thinking about what had almost just gone through her mind. Shaking her head violently back and forth she tried to clear her mind of that thought. _What if he's not interested? Besides, I'm not sure even if he's ready to move on. Seeing Lapis clearly brought up some feelings he thought he had been rid of._ That voice nagged at her again.

_That didn't stop him from flirting with all those other girls before. They're normally all over hi-_

_THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU. _Ayano angrily thought while slamming a mental door in the voices face, throwing on an imaginary padlock for good measure. I_ haven't seen him with any other girls since he ran into Lapis, although it's not like much time has passed._ Some muffled sounds came from behind the mental barrier. Thinking back a few minutes to before Kazuma had dumped her in the pond another thought came to her mind.

_What had he been saying right then?_ _"I have to live with my past but it won't control me. Now is the only thing that matters, and that's what I'm going to protect. And I swear I'll protect all of you." Like I'm some stupid doll that can't even defend herself…_ More muffled noise. Man had that got her mad. He should be treating her like an adult and not some kid! _How could he be such a jerk?!_ The noise behind the padlocked door grew louder, to the point of obnoxious. _I mean it's not like I'm going to go and die on him! I can take care of myself! Why doesn't he understand that!? _The noise behind the door grew so deafening she couldn't even hear herself think. Relenting from her previous decision she tore off the lock and threw open the barrier.

_BECAUSE HE CARES ABOUT YOU!_ Ayano's mouth dropped open, stunned at her own thoughts. Her mind was blank. Does he… does he really care that much about me? She thought back to when she saved Kazuma from himself, and what Catherine had said back at the hospital. "_When she said he needed to remember what was worthwhile she meant you!"_ The last word rang over and over in her mind.

_Do I really mean that much to him? Am I really the reason he came back to his senses?_ She held her hand up, partially blocking the light on the ceiling. Ayano groaned and rolled onto her side, hitting the switch to turn out the lights. She grabbed her pillow and pulled it to her chest before curling up into a ball. No matter how tired she was there was no way she could fall asleep now. She had too much to think about.

Author's note: Alright I'm going to try and not waste your time with these notes. No one wants to hear some guy rambling on and on. First of all, thanks for reading my story, I appreciate it.

Second of all I have not very much fiction before. I've read a lot of fiction and fanfiction though, and I read through a few of Kaze no Stigma fanfictions on this site before starting this story. In my opinion a lot of the stories were lacking a level of polish that bothers me while reading, so that's when I decided to write this. I want a good story that reads clean, and captures the reader's attention. I'm allowing all comments at the time, but if you're just going to bash the story or whatever save your time and mine and don't even post it. All other comments are welcome.

If you're reading this right at the initial publish it's obviously very short, ~650 words. Don't worry I am going to try and make the chapters about 5k words a piece, although actual length will probably vary. Probably sometime next week (starting 3/9/14) I'll have the first real chapter up. I would love to do it sooner but real life sucks. If you want to edit the story or do something other than comment please PM me and we can discuss it. Anyways thanks again for reading, feel free to comment, follow the story ect. It's appreciated!


	2. Chapter 1: An Ancient Enemy

**Chapter Updated as of 5/21/14 for grammar and spelling fixes. Thanks to Sarah and "How're you doing" for pointing out typos.**

The following day Ayano sat down to lunch at school with Yukari and Nanase as usual. The school had been abuzz with talk about the prior day's happenings. The police had covered up the crater created by the demon as a sinkhole and it seemed to be working pretty well, all things considered.

"Hey Ayano" Nanase said as she unpacked her lunch "I can't believe you saved the entire city yesterday! Not to mention us!"

"Yeah! Thanks for that by the way." Yukari chimed in. Ayano just stared off into the distance, seemingly oblivious to her friends.

"Uhh, Ayano?" Nanase waved her hand in front of her distracted friend's face. "Helloooo?"

"Huh, what?" Ayano stuttered, her mind coming back to reality.

"You alright?" Yukari asked. "You seem a little out of it today."

"Thinking about Kazuma no doubt." Nanase teased.

"Yeah…" Ayano responded absentmindedly while opening her lunch. It suddenly dawned on her what she just said, and her eyes grew wide. "WAIT! No, that's not it at all! He's such a jerk! Didn't you see him push me in the pond yesterday!? How can you say that kinda stuff! You know I don't like him!" The other two girls giggled.

"Well that was almost a confession" Yukari joked, winking at Nanase.

"Yeah, she'll admit it someday"

"Yeah, maybe on her death bed!" Both laughed, and Ayano sighed. The other two stopped a few moments later, realizing something was off.

"Oh c'mon Ayano, we're just teasing." Nanase comforted.

"Even though we both know we're right." Yukari whispered.

"Mm? What?" Ayano managed distantly, slowly turning her head, some fish and rice stopped halfway to her mouth. The other two looked at each other.

"Well hey, just know we're here to talk if you feel the need." Nanase offered.

"Yeah, thanks." Ayano managed before finally managing to get her food to its destination.

"Wow she's really got it bad today." Yukari muttered, her hand placed so only Nanase could hear her.

"Yeah, do you think something happened yesterday that we don't know about?" She responded in a low voice.

"Probably, why else would she be so distracted?"

"I don't know..." A few minutes passed as all three ate their lunches in silence.

"You know," Ayano began, immediately grabbing her friends' attention. "when Kazuma was…" She paused, "not well Kirika said I was the only who could remind him why he changed to who he is now" The other two exchanged a smile, and a slight blush grew on Ayano's face. "But… Do- do you think he really cares about me that much?" Ayano finished, her blush growing deeper, as she suddenly became very interested in her half-finished box lunch.

"Oh yeah for sure!" Yukari asserted, smiling.

"I'm serious!" Ayano snapped.

"So is she!" Nanase shot back. "Look, you saved him didn't you? Do you think that would have been possible if he didn't care about you?" Ayano turned away.

"You know he… he said that he wanted to protect me yesterday..."

"Aww, that's swee-"

"Before he threw me in the koi pond!" Ayano interrupted loudly, one eyebrow twitching. The other girls sighed.

"Even if you won't admit it to us, you know he cares about you." Nanase Yukari told her, making Ayano turn to look at the sky.

"I just, I don't know what to do…" Ayano thought aloud, trailing off.

At that moment a slight breeze rustled the nearby trees. Looking around the girls spotted a tall, dark figure seemingly floating down from the sky. The man landed close by, all three turning to greet him.

"Hey Kazuma, we were just talking about you!" Yukari called out, turning to Ayano and giving her a grin. Receiving an angry look in reply, she laughed. Ayano then turned her attention to Kazuma, who was looking at her expectantly.

"Don't worry, I assure you it was only bad things." She said, starting to get the last bit of lunch out of her container.

"I see you're a cheerful mood as usual" he responded, cracking a grin.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Ayano retorted, shaking her fist at him.

"Nothin'. Just making an observation." He said coolly, the grin growing wider. His torture victim let out a sigh.

"Why are you here Kazuma?"

"Just came by to let you know your father wants to talk to us after you're out of school today, apparently something's come up."

"Ugh, we just got done with the last problem, can't he cut us a break?" Ayano replied, moderately annoyed.

"I guess not." He paused. "Well that's all I had to say, guess I'll just be going." He turned and started walking.

"Wait Kazuma!" Ayano shouted after him. All three turned and looked at her. Kazuma raised an eyebrow. "Uhh," Ayano faltered "You know you still have to make up for pushing me in the pond yesterday right!?" Kazuma closed his eyes and smiled.

"Yeah yeah, I'll take you out to dinner some night this week."

"Ooooh! A date!" Both Nanase and Yukari exclaimed at the same time.

"IT'S NOT A **DATE**!"

When Ayano arrived home from school she went to the meeting room. Sliding the door open she was unsurprised to see both Kazuma and her father already waiting.

"Ah Ayano, right on time. Please, take a seat." Jugo said, motioning to the empty space on the floor next to Kazuma.

"You wanted to see us?" Ayano asked while sitting down.

"Yes, it seems there has been some strange events happening recently. Storms seem to be appearing out of thin air, and there have been stories of entire coastal towns being washed away."

"Alright, so the weather's crappy recently. What are we supposed to do about it?"

"Ayano this is serious business. It's not that the weather's bad but that it seems someone is controlling the weather. The storms seem to target certain coastal towns."

"I still don't understand. Why would someone want to destroy some little fishing villages?"

"It would appear that the towns being targeted are part of an old legend."

"Let me guess" Kazuma began "The towns are the ones the water mages traveled to in the legend of the Banishment of the Sea."

"The who, what now?" Ayano asked, now extremely confused. Kazuma smirked.

"Didn't you learn anything from your classes on ancient family history? Or did you sleep through them?"

"Of course I paid attention in class!" She shot back, before switching to a more unsure tone "But I'm, uh, a little fuzzy on the details. Could you remind me?" Kazuma laughed.

"Hey, what's so funny?!" Ayano demanded hotly before Juno broke up the squabble.

"Now now, calm down." He told them, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Long before the rebellion of the Fuga clan there was a war involving the Kannagi clan and the Madhavi clan. Obviously the Kannagi's were fire mages, but the Madhavi clan was made up of water magic users."

"OH, now I remember a little." Ayano spoke up. "If I remember correctly the legend goes that the Spirit King of Fire's first contractor was killed in a typhoon caused by the the Spirit King of Water. The Lord of Fire became infuriated and demanded that the other be banished for his transgression." Jugo nodded, inviting her to continue. "Of course the Lord of Water didn't go willingly, so our King obtained a new contractor, which was, supposedly, our ancestor"

"Very good Ayano." Her father praised, pleased she remembered at least a little bit of her family schooling.

"See, I told you I paid attention!" Ayano snapped, looking at Kazuma. Jugo sighed, still wishing the two could one day learn to get along. He picked up where his daughter left off.

"Well in any case, a devastating war ensued. In the last battle a whole city was submerged in the ocean before the Water King was finally defeated, and sent into an eternal slumber"

"Wait, why wouldn't the Fire King just destroy him?" Ayano inquired.

"One does not simply kill a god; they are more powerful than we can even imagine. Besides as mad as our King was I don't think he wanted to destroy his own brother. He was angry, not heartless."

"Wait, you're telling me those two are brothers!?" Jugo nodded. "Well I guess that makes sense then, but the water mages couldn't have just disappeared right?" His daughter asked.

"No. They were persecuted by our ancestors until the bitter end. The last of the water mages went from one coastal town to another, begging to be taken in and hidden so as to escape destruction. Ultimately they failed though and were all wiped out."

"You mean not a single one survived? That's terrible!" Ayano exclaimed. "Wait, wait, wait. Let me get this straight. You're saying that you think they didn't get wiped out and have now come back for revenge against the ones who refused to help them?"

"That's exactly what he's saying." Kazuma responded standing up. "Just give us the next town on the list Jugo and we'll take care of it."

"We expect the next attack to take place at a town called Tsuri. You're leaving this afternoon and I'm going to send Ren, and Kirika with you too, it'll be safer that way. Plus if things get out of hand I want the police cover up to be as quick and clean as possible."

"Alright then, I just hope the pay is good" The wind magic user said before smirking and walking out. Ayano rolled her eyes, and stood up.

"Don't worry father, you can count on us!" she declared before walking out and shutting the door behind her.

A few hours later Kazuma, Ayano, and Ren were all piling into Kirika's car, much to the entire groups disdain.

"Couldn't the police have given you a bigger car? I mean I've seen closets with more room!" Ayano complained.

"Oh c'mon it's not all bad. What are you afraid of touching me or somethin'?" Kazuma coaxed.

"Uh, do you have to be such a creep all the time?" Ayano grumbled. "Wait a second, why don't you just fly us there! Wouldn't that be way faster and easier?! Or are you just too lazy?" Ayano yelled, while her target put on his seatbelt and shifted into a more comfortable position.

"Not at all. The town's a few hours away by car, and carrying three people that far would be a little tiring, even for me. Given how strong these guys we're probably going to end up fighting are I shouldn't waste any energy."

"So you are lazy." She deadpanned. There was a pause. "WAIT YOU'RE SAYING I'M GOING TO BE STUCK IN A CAR FOR A FEW **HOURS **WITH YOU?!"Kazuma laughed.

"Settle down back there." Kirika said as she started the car. "Me and Ren are in here too, and I don't think either of us want to hear you two arguing the whole way there." Ren nodded in agreement.

"Well if it's all the same to you guys I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when we get there."

"Of course you are." Ayano replied dryly before sighing. The man sitting next to her just grinned as he closed his eyes, his hands behind his head. Leaning on the door she angled her head so she could see the landscape streak by. As the minutes passed Kirika struck up a casual conversation with Ren.

"So how's school going for you?"

"Pretty good, although it can be a little boring at times." The driver chuckled.

"I know what you mean, I was jus-"

Their voices slowly faded away as the white noise caused by the car made Ayano's eyelids grow heavy. Ever so slowly she drifted off to sleep.

She woke up staring at an open sky, the sun beating down like it was midday. She quickly righting herself and checked her surroundings. She was back in the crater in the center of the park. Shaking her head she tried to remember how she had gotten there.

_Why can't I remember anything? _Looking around more carefully she saw a person headed directly towards her.

"What the…" upon seeing figure had a massive sword she leapt to her feet with just enough time to summon Enraiha. Embers and sparks flew everywhere as the two swords collided, flashing from existence as quickly as they had come. Gritting her teeth under the impact she tried to get into a fighting stance. As the dust and ash settled she was able to get a good look at her attacker. It was Lapis. Her eyes grew wide as saucers from disbelief.

_What is going on? _She parried another blow, and pushed forward with enough force to throw her target back. Taking a deep breath she looked down, and gripped her sword tighter. _Think, think, THINK. Can't you remember anything about how you got here!? _The pause was long enough for both to recover, allowing Lapis to charge her again. She was ready this time though. With a swift, graceful movement she half blocked, half dodged her opponent's attack, giving her the perfect opening to swing.

_YES!_ Enraiha connected and her enemy was sent sprawling. Not one to miss an opportunity Ayano charged headlong, hell bent on finishing Lapis once and for all. As she neared her target she was blown back by a sudden and powerful gust of wind. Looking around she saw Kazuma walking towards Lapis, his back turned to her.

"Finish her!" Ayano yelled, understanding his need to finish this fight himself. If someone had tried to torcher her with a look alike of her dead lover she would want to be the one to end it too.

_Wait. Something's off, he doesn't look… _Kazuma extended his hand to Sui Ling's clone. _Is he… offering to help her up!?_

"YOU IDIOT WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Ayano screamed shakily.

_What is he thinking? _As Lapis took his hand and stood up he turned to look at Ayano, his red eyes reflecting like rubies in the sunlight.

"NO!" She yelled in disbelief, taking a step back. She could feel herself beginning to shake. "It's not possible! Not again!" She screamed, each word more and more unsteady "Why are you doing this!? Don't you know that you can't save her? She isn't her!" Her pitch and unease rose with every word until her voice nearly cracked. She saw him move, but was far too panicked to react in time.

She felt her feet leave the ground as she was tossed into the air. She braced for impact, but it didn't come. Instead she just floated in the air as the tears began to build behind her eyes. She jammed them shut, trying to stop the inevitable.

_This isn't happening. This isn't HAPPENING! _She felt herself being set down. Fearfully she opened her eyes…

She was back in the car.

_A dream. _She felt her body begin to un tense slowly. _It was all a dream._ She breathed a sigh of relief. She could still feel the tears in her eyes though, those were real enough. After a second she realized there was something resting on her. Her body tensed up again, but only for an instant. _You're fine. It was just a dream. _She told herself. _You're safe now. _She turned and looked to her left, seeing a hand. Almost immediately her heart caught in her throat.

_But that means._ Turning to her right she saw Kazuma. She was leaning on KAZUMA. And he had his ARM AROUND HER. She could feel her heart rate increase, and her stomach did a summersault.

_Oh my GOD what do I do!? _She thought. Her mind was racing. After a moment that little voice from last night spoke up again.

_**Enjoy it.**_ She sat completely still, unable to decide if she should scream and call him a pervert, or snuggle closer.

_He's so warm. _She thought, pushing herself up against him slightly more. It was starting to rain outside and the pitter patter of the droplets combined with the road noise of the car was somewhat comforting. _Some calming noise, and a warm body. Maybe this trip wasn't such a bad thing after all… _The car hit a bump and her head knocked into Kazuma's chin. _Oh no! _He moved his head a bit, having woken slightly from the jolt. She closed her eyes tightly. _No no no no NO! _She could feel him turn, see her, and tense up. She waited. Any second now he was going to nudge her and say something stupid. He was going to make fun of her for complaining and then unconsciously snuggling with him while she was asleep.

_Here it comes… _He relaxed.

_What?! _He leaned his head back, preparing to go back to sleep. _No wa- _Suddenly the car lurched and Kirika called back without taking her eyes off the road.

"Hey everyone wake up. We're supposed to be nearing the town but there's a really bad storm." Ayano quickly re adjusting herself before anyone else saw how the two of them had been positioned. She tried to clear her mind of all that had just happened and focus on the situation at hand.

"Wait, you don't think that they've already-" Ren began somewhat groggily, having just woken back up himself.

"Yes, I do think they've already started attacking. Let's just hope it's not too late." Kirika responded gritting her teeth. Ayano looked over, and Kazuma seemed to have fully woken back up, seemingly oblivious to what they had been doing just moments ago. _Like he doesn't know._

"I'm going to have to pull over! The storm's so bad I can't see the road anymore." As the car drew to a stop a gust of wind shook the tiny vehicle, threatening to pick it up and blow it away like nothing more than a feather.

Having taken stock of the situation Kazuma threw open his door and leapt out before slamming it shut again. The other three followed his lead and were immediately soaked to the bone by the unrelenting typhoon.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Ayano bellowed, trying to be heard over the gale. The rain was almost painful against her skin it was crashing down so hard. It was almost pitch black out, so all she could make out were the other three's outlines.

"THIS STORM!" he shouted back "IT'S TOO STRONG FOR ONE PERSON TO HAVE CREATED! GIVE ME A SECOND, I'LL TRY AND BLOW IT AWAY!"

"WHAT?!" Kirika shouted from somewhere beside Ayano, obviously unable to hear what had just been said. Kazuma closed his eyes. A few moments later he opened them again, now glowing a bright azure. With his contractor powers awoken he began to control the gale with no apparent effort. He managed to control the wind first, before starting to blow the clouds and rain away.

As the sky opened up the stars and moon began to peek through. There were a few clouds still lingering, apparently not affected by the torrent of air created by Kazuma. By the moonlight figures could be made out, standing on the vaporized water. Their dimly illuminated profiles turned and looked towards where the drenched group of four was standing.

Ayano quickly counted the number of people dotting the sky. Three in total. The car had been on a mountainside road and the town was visible in the valley below. Ocean waves were slowly receding, taking with them some of the buildings that had been closer to the coast. The area was almost completely flooded, with next to no structures looking like they could still support their own weight. The entire place was almost completely destroyed.

As one of the clouds approached, person in tow, Kazuma floated up to meet him. Getting closer he was finally able to start making out some of the other man's features. The man was middle aged and wore an ornate blue robe with white bottom and trim. His hair was jet black, streaked with silver and was drawn back into a messy ponytail. His hands were now inside his sleeves, completely hidden from sight. He spoke in a deep, unwavering voice.

"Who dares to interrupt the Madhavi clan's cleansing of this wicked town?"

"Funny, it looked like you were just wreaking havoc for no good reason to me." Kazuma responded coolly.

"We are justly destroying this town and its people as penance for their wrongdoing. Now do you have a death wish? This is your first and only warning. Leave now and we will let you live." The other two water mages began to inch in the pair's direction, preparing to take action if necessary.

"Ha!" Kazuma laughed coldly. "Are you really going to attempt and kill me? I'd like to see you try!" He baited, wearing a huge grin the whole time.

"Well then you've made your choice. Any last words?" Kazuma just broke down laughing.

"Get ready Ren." Ayano said, summoning forth Enraiha. Her cousin nodded in response, and wreathed himself in flames.

"What the hell is WRONG WITH YOU!?" The robed man demanded, sending a high velocity cone of water towards his enemy, which the wind mage deflected with a wave of his hand, finally able to control his mirth.

"Harikeen!" One of the other two enemies called out "Some of the Kannagi's are here!" But the warning fell upon deaf ears. He was too focused on the person who had just deflected his high level water spell without batting an eyelash.

"Say hi to the ground for me." Kazuma sneered before forcing Harikeen's cloud apart with a strong puff of wind from its center. Taken by surprise the water mage began to plummet, only able to slow his descent by condensing water vapor before landing about 10 feet away from Ren and Ayano.

The other two mages still in the sky charged their companion's aggressor. Kazuma just sidestepped their water jets before hitting one with a burst of air. The man just almost managed to get his balance back before a gust from the opposite direction slammed into him. He tumbled from his battle platform, but had been ready unlike his partner. His cloud raced down and caught him just before he hit the ground. Looking back up he scowled, and saw the wind mage point his way and mouth the words "Behind you". He turned just in time to take a flaming sword to the chest. The force threw him from his cloud and off the cliff into the valley.

Meanwhile Ren was attacking Harikeen fast enough to force him to keep his guard up. Ayano would then come in with a powerful attack, trying to get a good hit on him. Harikeen was skilled though, and not making it an easy fight for the other two. Steam filled the surrounding area as fire and water continually collided. Ren launched three more fireballs all of which were blocked by waves of water formed in midair. Ayano swung Enraiha down, which Harikeen mostly dodged. The flames just caught his robes, which smoldered for a moment.

Kazuma began moving back towards his comrades, smiling at the sight of them winning their battle. While still moving he turned to face the third man. He had short spiky dark blue hair and a somewhat gaunt face, like he could do with a good meal or two. His robe was a dark gray, almost black with a light blue trim. He was noticeably younger than Harikeen by at least twenty years. He seemed to be somewhat tired from the battle already, and was breathing deeply. He stared angrily at the flying man.

"You know if you took a picture it would last longer!" Kazuma taunted.

As he landed and turned around to start walking he could sense the blue haired man coming in for a strike. He lined himself up so that the mage would crash into Harikeen if he was going too fast. Having anticipated the attack Kazuma sidestepped at the last second. Dark robes flew by as expected but to the contractor's surprise the man didn't crash. Instead he dissipated the cloud and landed with a roll, ending up back to back with his ally.

"Fancy" Kazuma commented while casually walking around the pair to the same side as Ren and Ayano. Both men were now looking at the trio, leaving them completely open from behind.

"Oh boys!" Kirika called from the other side as she cocked her pistol. Both turned to look at her, before instantaneously realizing their mistake, but it was too late. Kazuma grabbed the man with the darker robes and violently pulled towards himself. The man toppled backwards and Ayano rapidly put him at sword point.

"If you want your buddy to live I expect you to leave right now. Let your superiors know what happened here, and that we WILL save the next town." She said, not looking away from her captive. She looked up. "Leave. NOW!" The statement punctuated by Enraiha being brought closer to the hostage. Harikeen exchanged a look with his companion, before nodding, ash falling from his singed hair.

"Alright" He responded, gathering a cloud beneath himself. "I will do as you say. But be warned, this battle is not over." As he flew off the four friends turned to look at their new prisoner.

After a moment Kazuma spoke. "Please, excuse me for a moment." He then proceeded to collapse.

"What's wrong with him?" the gaunt man asked.

"Contractor powers. He's worn out." Ayano replied.

"That explains **so** much."

**AUTHORS NOTE: I got it out by Monday! :D It actually only took me two days to write but editing combined with school made editing quite the project. Plus I am not really a fan of editing my own work. The polish it gives the work though is undeniably awesome. A few things:**

**1.)** **I am the only person who has edited this so if you see anything I missed just post a review and mention it, I'll be sure to nab it as quick as possible.**

**2.) I had reviews set so I had to approve them before they posted on accident, but I've since disabled that. It should be fine from now on.**

**3.) I failed to reach 5k words. Only about 4200 not counting authors note.**

**4.) All these chapters are available in gDocs so here's the Table of contents if you want to view it that way: /gzXgDT**

**I'll link it in the story summary too**

**I'm going to try for a chapter a week but with school and everything else we'll see. If you wish to edit please PM me. Hope you all liked it, if not go post an angry review :p Finally, I do read everything you guys post, so thank you all for the posts, follows, and faves. It means a lot. See you next week!**


	3. Chapter 2: Under the Sea

**Edited 5/21/14 for spelling and grammar.**

Kazuma awoke, still staring at the night sky.

"How long was I out?" He asked, slowly standing up, and rubbing the back of his head, having bumped it in the fall.

"About a minute I think." Ayano responded coolly.

"So now what do we do with him?" Ren wondered out loud, looking at the water mage.

"I just called the next city's police station. They're sending a car." Kirika replied, getting off her cell phone. "Should only take a few minutes for them to get here, then we can all follow them. Anyone object to holding off questioning until morning, and getting a room for the night?"

"Who's buying?" Kazuma inquired, causing Ayano to roll her eyes.

"Honestly, do you think of anyone but yourself?" She asked. "Would it kill you to do something nice for a change?"

"Don't worry; the police department will pay for it. No one's gotta cough up the cash." Kirika responded.

"As long as it's bigger than the car they gave us." Kazuma mumbled.

It was silent for a moment and Ren looked out upon the ruins sadly. "If only we could've saved the city."

"Hey, don't worry. There's no way we're going to let them take the next one." Ayano comforted, rubbing his arm to try and make him feel better. The water mage behind her laughed. Spinning around she glared at their prisoner "Hey, what the hell's so funny?!"

"You honestly think you can beat us?" He asked, in a somewhat mocking tone. "You know nothing about us, and yet expect to just defeat us like we're some joke."

"We kicked your ass just now." Kazuma replied casually. The other man just shook his head.

"You don't even know where we're from, or our intentions. Just quit while you still can." Ayano opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by a pair of headlights illuminating the area. The police car they belonged drew closer and before stopping about ten feet away. A pair of officers got out, handcuff at the ready.

"We'll take it from here folks." 

The following day the five arrived at the police station, well rested and ready to interrogate.

"Yes, he's just over that way in room 311." The receptionist replied, pointing down the hall to the right.

"Thanks." Kirika responded, the group beginning to walk down the hall in question.

Ren looked somewhat nervous. "So do you think this is going to go well?" he asked.

"Only one way to find out." The detective answered. They arrived at door 311. It was what you expected to see in your typical crime TV series. A one way window from the hall to the room, a single table with a lamp over it, a handcuffed prisoner, and two chairs. Kazuma opened the door, allowing the party to step inside. The blue haired man looked up wordlessly.

"Good to see you too." Kazuma said somewhat coldly.

"Look, start talking and maybe we can sort this all out before dinner time. We don't want to be here anymore than you do." Kirika stated, trying to play the good cop. A sigh was the only answer.

"Or we could just beat the information out of you." Kazuma antagonized, a look of minor enjoyment on his face. "Your choice." Still no response.

"Well let's start simple. What's your name?" Ayano inquired. The prisoner looked around for a few moments before sighing.

"Kovalan." He replied. "My name is Kovalan."

"See, that wasn't so hard," Kirika smiled. "Now where are you from?"

"Sorry, not happening."

"Alright then, what can you tell us?" Ren asked.

"Well I could tell you there's no point in questioning me, and you're wasting your time, but I don't think you'd lis-," he began before Kazuma interrupted by hitting him hard on the back head.

"Now we're going to ask again." The assailant said slowly "What else can you tell us?"

"I'm not telling you anything if all you're going to do is hit a helpless man!"

"We already defeated you once! What more do you want!?" Ayano yelled.

"You didn't defeat me, you kidnapped me. There's a difference."

"I can't believe he honestly-"

"No wait." Kazuma started, interrupting Ayano. "So you want a fair fight?" He looked at Kovalan sternly. The man nodded in response. "Alright then, dual me. Right here. Right now." A grin slowly grew on his face with each word.

"WHAT?! I-I don't think that's a good idea." Ayano said uneasily. "I mean do you remember what happened to the last building **I** dueled in? And you almost destroy buildings for a hobby! Besides, don't his handcuffs keep him from using his powers?"

The wind user responded with a shrug "Well I was going to un handcuff him."

"That's an even **WORSE **idea!" she exclaimed, mouth open in disbelief.

"I have to agree with Ayano here," Kirika added. "What's to stop him from just blowing out a wall and making a break for it?"

"Well there's three of us with magical powers and one of him. I would fight him one on one but if he tried anything funny he would be no match for all three of us."

"That... might actually work," Ren agreed.

"Are you CRAZY?!" Ayano roared at both of them.

"Glad you're being so supportive," Kazuma said sarcastically. "We should just do a dual like me and my old man did. We threw as much power at each other as we could. It didn't destroy much."

"Yeah, it just left a small crater," Ayano deadpanned.

"So what you're saying," Kovalan began, making everyone redirect their attention at him "is that if you win I have to freely give up the information you want."

"Correct," the wind user responded, nodding his head.

"And if I win I get to go free?" the water mage continued, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure." Kazuma grinned widely.

"This... is a terrible idea," Ayano moaned, shaking her head.

"It's not bad at all," Ren replied, now beginning to understand. "I'm confident my brother can win, and think about everything we gain. We don't have to sit here forever trying to pry the information from him, and we can get a better gauge of his power."

"I... guess so." Ayano said uncertainly before switching to a more heated tone. "But I swear if you destroy the police station!-"

"Don't worry. I've got this," Kazuma returned, confidence dripping off his voice.

"I think I'm going to step outside for this one," Kirika announced taking the keys for the handcuffs out of her pocket. "Here Ren, take these." She handed them over and opened the door to leave. "Oh and guys." The group looked at her. "Be careful." They all nodded, and she closed the door, locking it behind her.

"Alright, Ayano, Ren get behind him, and get ready to take off the cuffs." Both did as they were told, a much more serious feel starting to fill the air.

Behind the one way mirror Kirika held her hands together nervously. "I hope you know what you're doing..." She murmured. Back inside the room Kazuma backed against the wall opposite his opponent while Ayano stood nervously in the corner. Ren approached the table, and Kovalan looked up at him, extending his arms outwards. Making eye contact Ren could see the strength in his eyes.

Fumbling nervously with the keys he finally managed to find the correct one and put it in the lock. Kazuma wrapped himself in an aura of wind magic, but refrained from calling upon his contractor powers. It wouldn't truly be his fight then. And besides, the fight would be much more fun this way.

The room had become almost silent, other than the slight breeze caused by Kazuma's magic. As the key turned, a small click echoed before the cuffs collapsed loudly onto the metal table. Ren took some careful steps backwards ending up next to Ayano, and Kovalan slowly brought his right hand up to his off hand's wrist. He rubbed gingerly and looked at the imprints the bonds had left on him. One second passed. Then another. Kovalan looked up, then around. Ren and Ayano were extremely tense, ready to jump at a drop of a hat but Kazuma sat still with his eyes closed, waiting for his opponent to make the first move. Slowly he got up, walked behind his chair and turned back to Kazuma. He stretched for a time, as sitting all day had made his body stiff. When he finished he began to bring up his own aura. The surrounding moisture condensed around him and mist circled him. A pillar of water rose from the ground to surround him from waist to feet.

Without a word he threw three waves of water at Kazuma, completely destroying the table in the process. His adversary blocked them without even flinching. The wind magic user smirked, and opened his eyes

"That all you got?" He called across the room. "Pathetic!"

"Alright then," Kovalan replied coolly "let's try **this**!" launching a much more complex attack on the last word. A bubble of water formed around Kazuma and a whirlpool formed under him. The floor tiles broke apart, and were destroyed. The wind mage floated up an inch before forcing the bubble apart with a burst of air. His attacker smiled, "So I guess that won't work on you either."

"You really think some silly parlor trick like that's gonna do anything?" Kazuma asked. "Maybe you're not as powerful as I thought!"

"Ha!" Kovalan laughed in response. "Alright then, let's make this the real deal!" He cupped his hands together and the nearby water spirits began to glow and swirl towards him, forming into a ball of energy. The chunk of the floor below him broke off and formed into a patch of pure blue ocean, waves crashing over onto the floor.

"The Spirit of the Sea," Kazuma explained. "The legends say only the most powerful water mages could wield it. It's the equivalent to the Gods Fire for fire magic users, or the Spirit of the Wind for wind magic. Nicely done." He raised his hand and started to gather spirits of his own.

"I must say I'm not at all that surprised you too have the power to call upon the spirits," Kovalan disclosed. "You are a contractor after all."

"Well just be ready to lose!" Kazuma declared.

Both shot their gathered power at each other simultaneously, the forces colliding in the center of the room. The light hanging in the center exploded and the window to the hallway blew out.

"**WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT DESTROYING THE BUILDING!**" Ayano screamed angrily.

Kirika climbed up, having ducked to avoid the flying glass. She said something, but it was lost in the roar of the conflict. Wind and water battled back and forth in the center of the room, neither gaining any ground on the other. Kovalan began to use only his right hand for his powers and started gathering more spirits with the other.

"How is that possible?!" Ayano yelled to Ren who could barely hear her, despite being less than a foot away.

"How is what possible?!"

"Kovalan, he's using one hand to battle, and the other to gain strength! Even the best magic users can only manifest three fourths of their power in one hand!"

"But that means! …"

Kazuma began to form his windstorm into a cone shape, making it easier to cut through Kovalan's wave. The water magic user smirked before putting both his hands forward, and pushing with all his might. Both men's eyes grew wide. Suddenly, and surprisingly Wind overtook water. Mist filled the room and the gale ceased to exist. The light had been reduced to a flickering electrical short so it was near pitch black in the room. Both Ren and Ayano promptly hung small balls of fire about to illuminate the small, dank area.

Everyone was dripping wet, and the small flashes of light made for an eerie scene. Kazuma still stood, and Kovalan had been thrown to the floor. Clenching his fists the prior walked over to the latter and looked down angrily.

"Why?" he asked. "Why did you stop?" Slowly Ayano walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. Ever so slowly he released the tension in his body.

There were a few moments of silence.

"Stop what?" Ayano asked softly.

"He stopped trying at the end." Slowly a slight smile rose to his face. "He should have had me, but he didn't. He stopped using his powers all together. Just turned them off."

"But… That doesn't make any sense…" she responded.

"Exactly. Something's not right." He paused. "Well no sense wasting time trying to figure it all out. He has to tell us now."

"You really think he'll do that?" Ren asked, causing his brother's smile to grow.

"Yes, I do. He was honorable when we let him go; he didn't try to escape. I see no reason why he should change his attitude now."

"I hate to break up this nice little moment." Kirika began, standing in what had been the hallway. "But you two boys kinda destroyed everything." Hearing the detective's words Ayano let go of Kazuma, who turned to look at her. He wished he hadn't. He opened his mouth, preparing to defend himself, but didn't get the chance.

"**I told you not to wreck everything!**" She screamed. "**And look what you went and did anyways!**" Her victim closed his eyes. "I swear if I ever go anywhere with you again we're getting a pair of those handcuffs for you so this doesn't happen again!" Kazuma carefully closed his mouth and thought for a moment, before a large grin appeared. "What the hell is so funny! Can't you see I'm mad?!"

"That's just it." He said, leaning close to her and whispering the next few words. "You're cute when you're angry." He pulled back to see her face turned beet red. Having lost the gusto she had harnessed just moments before Ayano tried to regain somewhat of a footing.

"Y-you're such a creep!" She stuttered.

"Only when you're around." He replied, absolutely reveling in what he had done to her. She tried to form another sentence but just ended up sputtering. Content with his work Kazuma turned to Kirika. "So how much do you think this is gonna cost?" He asked, enticing a small laugh from her.

"I'm not exactly sure. Fifty thousand Yen should cover it." She answered before turning her head towards the still unconscious man. "What about him?"

"I made sure not to hurt him too badly in our battle, so he should just need some rest. Soon enough he'll be ready to answer our questions," he responded before turning back to both Kannagis. "You two stay here with him. I'll go sort out everything with the police station."

"Alright," Ren said, with Ayano managing a nod.

"C'mon Kazuma," Kirika called from the frame of the destroyed door. "You're gonna have a lot of explaining to do."

"So how long until you think he wakes up?" Ren asked quietly.

"I'd say pretty soon. He's been out for about 2 hours, and I didn't hit him **that **hard."

"Yeah, likely story. You hit him dead on with the spirit of the winds." Ayano whispered hotly. The man on the bed between them all groaned.

"Shh, he's coming around," Kirika hushed. Kovalan's eyes opened gradually, and he raised his arm to block the lights above him.

"Damn that hurt." he grumbled, closing his eyes again and letting his arm fall to the mattress.

The group was in the police sick bay, using the bed farthest from the entrance. There was a door leading to the bathroom halfway up the right side of the room while most of the other wall space was taken up by medical devices or old faded pictures. There were just over a half dozen other beds in the room, all empty.

"Glad to see you're awake." Kirika said.

"Now about those questions..." Kazuma began.

"Oh come on! The poor guy just woke up! At least give him a minute to recover!" Ayano berated.

"Well he said he would, and the longer we wait the longer until my next paycheck."

"Is that all you care about? Screw the money, people's lives are at stake!"

"Do you two always act like an old married couple?" Kovalan asked.

"WHAT?" The pair exclaimed at the same time.

"Touchy subject?" He inquired almost jokingly.

"I don't know where you got the idea that we were a couple!" Ayano bellowed.

"I never said you _were _a couple," Kovalan stated. "I just said you _acted _like one."

"Look buddy, we aren't a couple, and the princess isn't interested in being one either," Kazuma clarified.

"Hey I never said that!" Ayano snapped.

"So you **are **interested in being a couple?" Kazuma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"WHAT!? I-I didn't say that either! Stop putting words in my mouth!" She yelled angrily, but with very little confidence. Meanwhile Ren leaned over to Kirika, and brought his hand to his mouth so only she could hear him.

"How long do you think we should let this go on?" he whispered.

"Honestly watching this is the most fun I've had all week. I'm not gonna stop 'em."

"Well it has to be one or the other. So which is it?" Kovalan demanded.

"That's kinda mean," Ren responded gloomily, causing the detective to sigh.

"Yeah, you're right," she replied quietly before raising her voice. "Can we get back on topic here people?"

"Yes, let's!" Ayano agreed a little too loudly, thanking Kirika with her eyes. The latter laughed.

"It's not like we don't already all know the answer," She said, a mischievous smile on her face."

"WHAT?!" Ayano screeched.

"**ANYWAYS,**" Ren interrupted, trying to re-rail the conversation. "Let's start with why you were destroying Tsuri."

Kovalan sighed and began to talk. "Well you obviously aren't all completely clueless so I'm going to assume you know about the Banishment of the Sea." The group nodded in response as he continued. "Well that tale is missing a few details. It is correct in saying our king was locked away, but it fails to mention that there was more than one reason that the last group of survivors were going from town to town. When our lord was locked away enchantments were placed on certain buildings in each of those cities. My ancestors were looking for shelter as well as those enchantments in a hope to destroy them and free their god."

"Wait, so instead of destroying the whole town you could have just destroyed one building!?" Ren yelled angrily. "You killed all those people for no reason!?"

"Well we would have had to know the exact building then, which we don't," Kovalan answered "And if you don't remember these towns tried to extinguish my family from the face of the planet. So no, we aren't on the best of terms."

Ren's face had become bitter. "Continue," he said through gritted teeth.

"So just recently my people have, once again, become powerful enough to bring our king back. That's why we've been destroying all those cities."

"Onto question two," Kazuma began. "No one had seen water mages for thousands of years. Where have you all been hiding for so long?"

"Well the city that was swallowed by the ocean in the legend, Yamatai, we saved what we could of it and have lived there ever since. Most people now a days call it the city of glass though."

"The city of glass?" Ayano asked. "What is it actually made of glass?" The water mage nodded. "Why? Isn't glass a less than ideal building material?"

"Well there aren't a lot of trees at the bottom of the ocean, so wood isn't really an option," he responded jokingly.

"No kidding," she replied sarcastically. "But there isn't a lot of glass on the ocean floor to my knowledge, so why glass?" Kovalan sighed, closing his eyes

"What is glass made of?" he inquired.

"Uh, Sand?"

"And what is there a lot of at the bottom of the ocean?"

"OHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"So where is this 'City of Glass'?" Kirika asked.

"I can't tell you that." He answered.

"Hey, you said you would tell us everything!" Ren roared.

"Calm down. I just quite literally don't know where it is. Water mages just teleport there, we don't actually know its exact location."

"Well that's just great. How are we supposed to go there if we don't know where it is?" Ayano complained.

"Well wind magic users are good at detecting power. I'm linked to the city through my magic, so your boyfriend should be able to find it fine."

"**HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!**" Ayano screamed, before becoming downcast. "I'm never going to live this down."

"Yeah, I can sense your connection to the city already." Kazuma commented, getting up to leave. "We should get going. Kovalan you're staying here." As he started heading for the door so did the rest of the party.

"Not like I could come in this condition even if I wanted to." He responded, looking down at the bed. Without another word the four left.

Half an hour later Ren and the two girls were clinging to Kazuma as he floated over an endless expanse of ocean.

"It's directly below us now," he said, slowly decreasing their elevation. "If I'm right it's not too deep down either. I should be able to just fly us there by putting an air bubble around us and diving in."

"So we won't be getting wet?" Ayano inquired.

"Nah, we'll be fine."

"You know Kazuma," Kirika began, "I could just have the police get us some scuba gear and we co- AH!" she was cut off by Kazuma flying into a ninety degree descent at breakneck speed. The three passengers closed their eyes and braced for impact as the water neared, but it never came.

Kazuma laughed. "I told you we would be fine, don't be such wimps."

"Sorry, but when I plummet towards the ocean at a hundred miles per hour I get just a **little **bit nervous," Ayano fumed.

"So I'm thinking that's the city," Ren remarked. In front of them inside a bubble of air was a massive city, made up almost entirely of glass buildings. In the center stood a massive ancient palace that looked thousands of years old. Certain parts of the building had been reinforced, or entirely replaced. Towers and extensions had been added on as well, and all improvements and additions were done entirely out of glass. It gave off an elegant look, but unlike most of the city, which was opaque, the glass making up the main building was entirely clear. Watching the people inside move about like fish in a tank made for a very eerie experience.

"Wow," Ayano breathed. "it sure is… big."

"What do you think keeps the city in that bubble?" Kirika wondered. "Who or whatever it is has to be extremely powerful." Ren and Ayano nodded in reply.

"Ok, I'm bringing us down near their farms," Kazuma stated. "Just act casually. I'd rather not have it be the four of us against an entire city of magic users." Getting closer to the bottom he took them about five feet from the city's air bubble and set everyone down on the sand. Kazuma extended his air bubble to touch the city's so there was a doorway from one to the other. "Alright, let's go."

As all four made it into the safety of the city Kazuma's air pocket dissolved behind them. Off to the right was a small pond that seemed to be for farming seaweed, and to the left were tubs of farm bred fish.

"There's a level of irony here I just can't get over." Kirika thought out loud.

"I just don't understand why they have to have the city in a big air bubble," Ayano said. "Can't water mages just breathe like fish do?"

"I don't think it works like that," Ren answered. "It's not like they have gills." After another moment of looking around Kazuma began to speak.

"I'm going to go scout the city a bit, see what I can find out. Do whatever you guys want, as long as it doesn't get you caught," and with that he flew off.

"We can take care of ourselves! Who needs him!?" Ayano declared.

"Well I for one want to get into the city so I can take a look around." Kirika voiced. "You guys coming?"

"Sure, why not." Ren replied. The group began to move in the direction of the glass towers, looking around as they did. After a few minutes in silence Kirika spoke up.

"So what do you two think of Kovalan?"

"I'm not sure we can trust him," Ren answered.

"I'm not sure we can either, but currently we have no choice." Kirika agreed

"I think he's a jerk," Ayano asserted, drawing a grin from the adult in the group.

"Why, just because he noticed you have a thing for Kazuma?" Kirika teased.

"I don't like him!" Ayano fumed.

"We all know you do, and so do you if you would just admit it," Kirika said in a fairly serious tone. Ayano just continued to look annoyed. The detective sighed. "Look, I know you view me as competing with you for Kazuma," Ayano opened her mouth to rebuke her, but Kirika didn't give her the chance. "You can't even deny that. There was practically steam shooting out your ears the first time you saw us together." Ayano shut her mouth and just glared.

"Do we have to discuss this right now?" Ren asked awkwardly, trying to ignore the two girls' conversation.

"I doubt I could get Ayano alone any time soon, and I think she'd rather die than have this conversation in front of your brother."

"Where the hell are you going with all this?" Ayano demanded.

"All I'm trying to say is that I think you'd be much happier if you told Kazuma how you feel and sorted things out from there."

"I can't do that!" Ayano said exasperatedly.

"Why not?!" Ren asked crossly.

"Ren?" his cousin questioned cautiously.

"You're putting off telling him how you feel, but the longer you wait the less time you have to spend with him," he took a deep breath. "Once you're with him though you'll be happy, and wish you had told him sooner."

"It's not that simp-"

"Yes it is!" He yelled, turning around to look at her, the group halting its progress towards the ever growing glass towers. There were small tears in the corners of his eyes. Ayano opened her mouth, but words failed to form. "You should spend as much time as possible with the people you love because they might not be there tomorrow!"

_This is about Ayumi _Ayano thought, lowering her head.

After a bit of awkward silence she responded carefully. "You're right," Kirika grew a small grin. "I just- I'm not ready yet." She looked back up at him. "I just need to sort my thoughts out is all." Then she smiled, trying to make him feel a little better. "Come on, we're near the city now, let's go have a look." Ren dried his eyes on his sleeve and nodded.

As they drew closer the structures of the city began to get larger and more ornate, with different colors of glass making up the buildings. The sunlight refracted through the water above, causing interesting patterns to cover the ocean floor below. In some areas the glass buildings worked like a prism and broke the sunlight into each of its individual wavelengths, painting certain areas a rainbow of color. The group stared in wonder. There was a crowd nearby, so the three walked closer to hear what was being said. A man in the center held a book and appeared to be addressing the crowd, repeating the message over and over as if it was a news bulletin. Finally they grew close enough to make out what he was saying.

"-the bubble protecting the city was passed through an hour or so ago by an unknown force." Murmurs could be heard throughout the crowd. "It is still unclear who or what this force was, but we should remain vigilant until the perpetrator is found." He paused before repeating the message. "Attention all citizens! It seems the bubble protecting…"

"I'm thinking now would be a good time to leave." Kirika whispered to her companions, who nodded earnestly in response. "We should hide. But where does one hide in a city that's almost entirely transparent?"

"The one building that isn't made of glass?" Ren replied, pointing towards the palace. Both girls nodded in response, and the group began to slowly make their way towards the building, trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves.

After what seemed like an hour they arrived at the courtyard, which was decorated primarily with rock gardens, and sculptures of great water mages. The other people around were dressed in robes similar to the ones the water mages had been wearing when they attacked Tsuri. The doors to the main building were open. There was a sign that read "Yamatai University and City Center".

"Wow," Ren gasped.

"I feel somewhat under dressed," Ayano said looking around anxiously at almost everyone else nearby, before looking down at her usual school uniform. The trio entered the doorway which led into a foyer held up by quartz pillars and a wooden floor that had been paved over by clear glass, preserving the beauty while avoiding any deterioration.

"Hey you three!" a gruff voice said behind them, causing the group to become extremely tense before turning around cautiously. The man to whom the voice belonged was at least six feet tall, had a few too many pounds around his midsection, and sported long white hair. His robe seemed more detailed than most of the students giving him an air of authority. "What are you doing here? You don't go to this school. I know every student, and I don't recognize any of you!"

"Well," Ayano replied, attempting to sound official, "we were sent by the head of the guards. He thinks they may have found a lead involving the recent city break in and asked us to inform Harikeen of the update." The other two nodded their heads, trying to seem convincing. The large man looked down at them intently, as if sifting through their thoughts to make sure they weren't lying.

"He's up two floors first door on the left. I would escort you personally, but I have a class to lead in five minutes."

"Thank you for your help." Ayano replied all in one breathe before turning and walking in the direction of the stairs, actively trying to not sprint. Both Ren and Kirika followed quickly, putting as much distance between them and the teacher as possible. One flight of stairs later Ren posed the question that they all wanted answered.

"How did you know that would work? How did you know he worked here?"

"I didn't," Ayano responded. Ren stopped walking as the other two continued up, his mouth hanging open.

"WHAT!?"

"It worked didn't it? Now come on, I'd rather not get caught twice." He stood still for a few more seconds, before closing his mouth and rushing up the stairs to catch the two girls. As they reached the third floor Kirika stopped and turned to the other two.

"I know we didn't come here to snoop, but if this really is his office we may be able to learn a lot about their plans. I want to look around." Both nodded in understanding and she quietly opened the door into the hallway. Plaques sat next to each door and the area was completely empty. The third floor appeared to be made up almost entirely of offices for the school's professors and city officials. The group moved to the door on the left. Two men could be heard through it, one of them Harikeen.

"-was a major setback," the unknown voice said.

"I agree, but the Spirit King will be free soon, we can wait to rescue him until then."

"And what if they try to kill him? What do we do then?"

"You know that won't happen. They have no idea who he is and we have them protecting that useless city."

"Yes, it's lucky we don't need to destroy that city. I'm tired of all the innocent blood being spilled anyways."

"I'd destroy a thousand more cities if it meant getting our lord back." Harikeen asserted, anger rising in his voice.

"I understand." The man said flatly before pausing. "It should only be a day at most and then the king will be free. We will have our revenge on the Kannagi's with the new contractor and put this whole thing behind us." Ayano began to grow enraged behind the door. Concern shown in Ren's eyes, and Kirika pulled herself even closer, trying to hear the conversation better. A slight grunt could be heard inside as someone stood up. "Well I should be leaving now, so as to make the final preparations. Everything should be ready by morning." Harikeen stood up as well.

"Godspeed Seeringu." The trio tried to get away from the door as the footsteps approached, but it was too late. The door slid open and the three tripped over each other, collapsing on the floor. Harikeen looked down at them, his rage causing him to shake.

"**YOU!**" he screamed "**HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE.**"

"Sorrygottagobye!" Ayano managed before leaping up, and sprinting down the hallway, her companions following closely.

"**SECURITY!**" He roared before racing after them.

"KAZUMA IF YOU CAN HEAR ME NOW WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD TIME!" Ayano yelled. The group turned a corner, which was capped off at the end by a massive window taking up the entire wall. Almost as if on cue Kazuma floated down into view.

_Why does he always wear that stupid grin? _Ayano thought.

_You know you like it. _The voice inside her head responded.

_**SHUT THE HELL UP. **_The glass shattered from a burst of wind magic and all three jumped to Kazuma, who promptly caught them. Looking at their pursuer he laughed.

"It's been fun!" Kazuma jested. "See you around!" He then flew straight up and out of the city, Harikeen calling after them.

"Fuck off!"

**AUTHORS NOTE:** **I'm a few days late… but reached 5.7k words :D. School and work always get in the way of the important things in life, like fan fiction :p (To be honest Titanfall coming out a week from yesterday didn't help either lol)**

**Next week's chapter may be a bit delayed, as I do have an exam Monday, and 2 projects due the Monday after that. Still, I'll try my best.**

**I decided while writing this chapter that if and when things between to heat up between Kazuma and Ayano I will put the more steamy scenes in the Gdoc and leave them out on . That will avoid rating issues, and both the people who like and the people who dislike that kind of stuff are happy. It is worth noting that all chapters so far are the same on both sites.**

**So to recap:**

**Fanfic: "They made out"**

**Gdoc: "*intense description of make out session*"**

**One last note. "How are you doing" mentioned me writing "common" as opposed to "come on" or "c'mon". That has been fixed in all chapters.**

**As always, I read all comments and reviews so keep 'em coming. Thanks to everyone for reading. Until next time.**

**UPDATE (5/21/14): I swear I'm not dead. Updated all the chapters to day. Will have new chapter out by the end of the week now that classes have ended. Cheers.**


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